The present disclosure relates to digital audio data.
Digital audio data is associated with a number of different parameters. The audio data has a level value based on the energy that is contained in the audio data. This level value is typically referred to as a root mean square (RMS) value of the audio data. The audio data also has a peak value. The peak value is a maximum amplitude value for the audio data within a specified time (e.g., one period of an audio waveform of the audio data). The ratio of the peak value and the RMS value over a specified time for the audio data is referred to as a crest factor. A high crest factor indicates audio peak intensities that are higher than the RMS value for the audio data.
Additionally, the audio data can be edited. A user can apply different processing operations to portions of the audio data to generate particular audio effects. For example, the audio data can be adjusted by a user to increase amplitude of the audio data (e.g., by increasing the overall intensity of the audio data) across time. This is typically referred to as applying a gain to the audio data. In another example, the amplitude of audio data can be adjusted over a specified frequency range. This is typically referred to as equalization.
The signal intensity of audio data can vary over time. Depending on several factors, e.g., background noise, number of distinct audio signal sources, or individual signal intensities, the audibility of audio data or the audibility of audio signals contained in the audio data may be suboptimal. An example of audio data containing audio signals having different intensity are voice recordings. The voices of different speakers located at different positions, relative to the position of the audio recording equipment (e.g., a microphone), result in differences in a number of aspects including tonality, intensity, or dynamics. Additionally, the speakers may exhibit behavior that influences the audio properties of their voices substantially, e.g., by turning their heads or changing position. Other factors may also exist that influence the recording of audio data.